Little cameras in capsules at home can spot cancer once swallowed

Miniature cameras which patients can swallow to get checked for cancer are being trialled across the NHS.

The imaging technology, in a capsule no bigger than a pill, can provide a diagnosis within hours.

Known as a colon capsule endoscopy, the cameras allow patients to get cancer checks at home.

Traditional endoscopies mean patients need to attend hospital and have a tube inserted whereas the new technology means that people can go about their normal day.

An initial group of 11,000 NHS patients in England will receive the capsule cameras in more than 40 parts of the country.

If successful the technology could be rolled out nationally to help clear the huge Covid-19 cancer backlog.

NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said: “As we come out of ‘peak covid’ and the disruption of the pandemic, the NHS is now pushing ahead with genuine innovation to expand services for many other conditions.

“That’s why we’re now trialing these ingenious capsule cameras to allow more people to undergo cancer investigations quickly and safely.

“What sounds like sci-fi is now becoming a reality, and as these minute cameras pass through your body, they take two pictures per second checking for signs of cancer and other conditions like Crohn’s disease.”

It is estimated that around half of people with cancer red-flag symptoms did not see a GP during the pandemic.

Infection control measures required to make endoscopies Covid-secure mean they take much longer to do, which has reduced the number of people who can undergo the life-saving checks.

The capsule endoscopy normally takes five to eight hours and provides full images of the bowel with information sent to a data recorder in a shoulder bag, so patients can go about their day.

It is hoped the cameras will help to speed up the checks, catching more cancers early when they are easier to treat.

Genevieve Edwards, Chief Executive at Bowel Cancer UK, says: “This has the potential to make a huge difference for people with bowel cancer symptoms and could help the NHS to prioritise those who urgently need further tests.”

University College London Hospital is one of those to have started using the technology.

Clinical lead Ed Seward said: “Colon capsule is a new innovation that has recently become available and involves swallowing a camera pill that takes pictures of the bowel as it passes through.

“Not only does colon capsule increase our diagnostic capacity, because it doesn’t require the resources of a dedicated hospital space to do the examination, it also allows us to do the examination in the patient’s home.

“So patients who may be shielding or cautious about going to a hospital, can perform the procedure in the comfort of their own homes.”

Dr Alastair McKinlay, President of The British Society of Gastroenterology, said: “We welcome any initiative that seeks to simplify and improve the early diagnosis of gastrointestinal disease and, in particular, colorectal cancer which unfortunately is still responsible for many avoidable deaths.”